Egghead's Path to Glory
by Terrapin44
Summary: An old enemy of Mario's discovers the Glitz Pit. He seems bent on acheiving his goal, yet not all is what it appears to be... Helps if you've played the first two Paper Mario games. Chapter 4 up one of these days.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - The Egghead Enters the Fray

"Okay, I have to make sure I have this right…" The little Toad cleared his throat before continuing. He wore a dark blue tank top and white pants with matching shoes. He wore a white cap with pink spots. A long tuft of yellow hair dangled down in front of his eyes. He gestured towards the unkempt, dingy room before him.

"This is your locker room. You're starting in the minor league, of course, as you've just now started your career. If you don't like this dingy room, I suggest you work your way up the ranks…"

The person he was talking to, however, didn't seem to care at all with what the Toad was saying. He took a look around the room, a vacant stare in his eyes. The Toad was right, no doubt; to call the locker room messy would be an understatement. The lockers were dented, pieces of the floor and walls were missing and the benches had springs sticking out of their mattresses. Even the one bed in the room looked like it was poorly made.

The visitor grunted with disgust. Was this really how the Glitz Pit treated new fighters? He thought that even the newest fighters deserved at least a small amount of good treatment. He sighed. It was hard being an unknown; to not be noticed at all, despite all your efforts. The visitor's eyes narrowed as he started to let his mind wander…to that one man…

"Mr. Koopa? I'm over here! Please pay attention to me. I'm trying to explain the rules…"

All at once, the Koopa was brought back to reality as he noticed the Toad making gestures at him. Succeeding in his task, the Toad grumbled to himself.

"Mmm…how could Jolene do this to me…explaining rules to the newbies…her own brother, too? …Or did she forget that I'm Prince Mush…original champion of the Glitz Pit? All that fame, and this is what I'm reduced to?"

The Koopa did not seem moved by the Toad's ramblings in the slightest. He gestured towards the Toad. "The rules…?" Prince Mush cleared his throat once again.

"As I was saying, when you're ready to fight, you just log on to this computer terminal." He gestured towards a computer monitor that looked exactly like a purple Game Boy Advance console. The Koopa could not help but cock an eyebrow at this. "Ms. Jolene, my sis, will decide who you will match up against. You will have no say in this." This stifled a grunt from the Koopa. Prince Mush turned to the turtle, still gesturing towards the terminal. "Why don't you try it once?" he said, "Log on to the terminal, then pick 'Reserve a Match.'"

The Koopa clasped his hands, grinning slightly. Finally, it was time to put his fighting skills to the test. He walked up to the terminal, full of hope. Reality then hit him as he realized he had no idea how to operate the machine whatsoever. After a few seconds of confusion, he shrugged and pressed one of the buttons to the right of the screen. Instantly, the screen lit up and an automated message began to play itself:

"Welcome to the automated match-reservation system. What is your command?"

The screen blinked as two choices appeared ('Reserve a Match' and 'View Rankings') as well as the button letter corresponding to either choice. After staring at the screen for ten seconds, the Koopa's hand instinctively went to the button for 'View Rankings'. He did this out of honest curiosity. As if he expected this, Prince Mush spoke up, stopping him.

"Not that it matters right now, but you rank at the very bottom: 20th place. Please select 'Reserve a Match.'"

The Koopa grunted once more. He pressed the button corresponding to 'Reserve a Match.' The screen blinked once more, and the head of Jolene, the promoter of the Glitz Pit, appeared. Like Prince Mush, she sported a yellow bang of hair and a cap with pink spots, yet she wore small white earrings and granny glasses. As well, Jolene had a more serious and businesslike aura around her than her brother did. At once, she began to speak:

Good afternoon, sir. I suppose you're ready to begin the matches, are you? You seemed very anxious about it when we first spoke." A small silence, then: "Very well, then. Let me check the roster. Your first battle is against…Rank 19 in the Glitz Pit, the Goomba Bros. I'm sure you can handle them just fine. Now, your condition for the battle is to let your opponent damage you at least twice. I say this because we don't want the audience to get too bored with a one-sided battle, if such an issue is raised. You understand, right? …If you have any questions about the battle conditions I set for you, just ask my brother. He will gladly explain them to you. Well, good luck out there."

Following that last bit of encouragement, the screen went blank. The Koopa blinked once and turned to Prince Mush, expecting him to say something. The little Toad cleared his throat.

"All right, your battle is reserved. At this point, you just wait until Security comes to fetch you." The Koopa grunted assent. "I'm sure you know the rules, already. The last team left standing wins the match," Mush continued. "Now, as I said earlier, it's important to follow the battle conditions that Jolene sets for you, as they are the only way for you to move up in the ranks…provided you also win the match, of course."

"That seems pretty obvious," said the Koopa, coldly. Mush, briefly taken aback by his words, went on.

"…Uh, yeah. Anyway, the condition this time is pretty straightforward: Let your opponent damage you at least twice. Fairly easy. …Heh, I guess the only thing you have to lose is a bit of personal pride, huh?" He had meant that last part as a joke, but the Koopa was clearly not amused.

"If I were you, I'd mind my own business, okay? I'm not in the mood to chat with you!" he snapped. Prince Mush slowly backed off.

"Don't feel like talking, huh?" he said, nervously. "Well, that's fine. Let's just wait for Security to get here, then."

What followed was a rather awkward silence. Prince Mush stared at the newcomer with confusion. Why was he behaving all closed off and unfriendly-like? He couldn't recall ever meeting a fighter like this since he took over his sister's job as secretary for the promoter. Not even Rawk Hawk, one of the former champions of the Glitz Pit, had been behaving like this Koopa was right now. What happened to this person to make him so grouchy? He decided it best not to pursue that question.

The Koopa, meanwhile, was getting more impatient by the minute. He wanted Security to get here and escort him to the ring. He was anxious to begin his climb up the ranks and take the Champion's Belt from whichever poor fool had it currently. Surely, this couldn't be that hard. After all, he had defeated the Master several times back at the Toad Town Dojo. Certainly, this couldn't be any more different than that.

However, taking a better look around the locker room, he could see that the competition was going to be a little stiffer here than back at home. The Toad and the Koopa were not the only ones in the locker room. Sharing the room with them was also a Bob-omb, a Dull Bones, a Swooper and a Pale Piranha. The Koopa nodded to himself in understanding. These other fighters were here for the same thing he was and he deduced he would most likely have to fight each and every one of them, eventually. So he would, and he would win against them all. He would nab the Champion's Belt and return home in triumph. He wasn't sure how long this would take, but it would all be worth it in the end. This would certainly…

Suddenly, he was brought back to reality as he thought he saw one of the other fighters move towards him. Sure enough, the Bob-omb was making his way over to him. He sighed, hoping no one had heard him. '_Great_,' he thought, '_more small talk_.' He was clearly not in the mood for this. The Bob-omb approached the two, trying to be friendly.

"Hello, welcome to the Glitz Pit BOMB," he said to the Koopa, "My name is Master Crash BOMB. I figured I should say hello, since we will be fighting someday BOMB." The Koopa looked at him, taken aback by a Bob-omb's normal way of speaking.

"Well, thank you, but I'm not in the mood for talking," the Koopa said for what seemed like the hundredth time. "Now if you'll excuse me I'm waiting for Security to bring me to the ring so I can start busting heads."

"Ah. You are anxious BOMB to start fighting and take the champion's belt. Understandable. I was too BOMB," said Master Crash, laughing. "This was the attitude of every new fighter who joined the roster BOMB. Soon, you will know how hard that feat actually is BOMB."

"Well, thank you so much for those words," the Koopa snapped back, obviously annoyed, "try not to be too surprised when I take this stupid place by storm!"

"Heh, you say that but it really is not as easy as you think BOMB," said Master Crash. He seemed to expect the Koopa's attitude. "People who sign up on this roster are here longer than they think they will be BOMB. Myself, I have been here for five years, and in those five years I have seen many fighters come and go BOMB. You will probably not be that much different BOMB-BOMB."

This got the Koopa's full attention. Turning to face the Bob-omb, he had the look of someone ready to snap. It took him every effort to keep himself from starting a fight right in the locker room. He stepped forward menacingly until he was right in Master Crash's face.

"You…just…watch…me!" was all he said. There was a certain hint in his voice that told Master Crash that this discussion was over. If not, he might find himself in a lot of pain. Suddenly intimidated by the Koopa's presence, Master Crash quickly backed away. Once he felt he was at a safe distance, his courage returned to him.

"You know, you must be a lot of fun at parties BOMB!" he said, frowning. The Koopa, drawing close to his last nerve, was about to corner the Bob-omb once again, when the door to the locker room opened and a huge security guard walked in. He was dressed all in black, had a blue head, a small tuft of yellow hair and wore a large pair of sunglasses. He had a large walkie-talkie in his left hand.

"No fighting in here, now. You got a beef with someone, take it outside, or else I'll have to break it up, and trust me, you do NOT want me to do that." For emphasis, he cracked his knuckles and flashed a very intimidating grin. "Now, you! Eggface! Match time! Follow me, bub."

There was a painful silence in the air as everyone in the room registered the name of their newest competition. Master Crash was the first to break the silence.

"Y…your name is Eggface BOMB?!" he asked, incredulous. It took him all he had to keep from laughing. The Koopa hung his head in shame. He was obviously ashamed of his fighter's name. He didn't want to bring himself to have to correct the guard, but he had no choice.

"…technically, the name is…Egghead…" he said, emotionless.

That did it. Hearing this, Master Crash was on the ground, laughing his head off. The other fighters in the room quickly joined in. The Koopa felt like he wanted to crawl into a hole. Embarrassed, he walked over to the guard. Prince Mush decided to continue his tutorial.

"Ok, Security has come to get you…" He stopped short as the Koopa looked at him with a look of rage.

"NO, REALLY?! I have eyes, you know!" he snapped sarcastically. This caused the fighters to laugh even harder. Without another word, the Koopa followed the security guard out of the locker room. Prince Mush looked offended.

"Try not to get completely destroyed out there…" He was interrupted once again by the door slamming in his face. Knowing he wouldn't be heard, he added, angrily, "…jerk."

The area in the Glitz Pit where the matches actually took place was made up in a Coliseum-style setting. There was an open arena box set up in the middle of the room where the fighters would duke it out. Behind the box was a huge widescreen TV screen showing the match in all its glory and spotlights moving around everywhere. The audience were crowded in their seats; many were on the floor surrounding the stage, while others were crowed in the rows of seats, watching the fights from a higher perspective. The crowds this time were, as usual, comprised of male Toads, female Toads, Doogans and Lakitus.

The air was filled with anticipation. Jolene, the promoter was standing in the center of the box along with the team known as the Goomba Bros. The team was comprised of two Goombas, both a size larger than that of the normal, garden-variety Goomba. One of the Goombas had red skin and sported shiny purple shoes, and the other looked almost the exact same way, although his skin was blue. The crowd cheered as Jolene brought her wireless microphone to her face. She was apparently ready to introduce the next match.

"Thank you as always, everyone. Now, we've got a special treat for you: Our next battle is between the Heartless Headbonkers, the Goomba Bros." she paused for effect. "aaaaaand…a newcomer who definitely has some intense energy to spare. I introduce to you: The Persistent Egghead!"

The entire crowd actually went silent for a fraction of a second before erupting into peals of uncontrollable laughter. Even the Goomba Bros. joined in the hilarity. Blue Goomba was lying with his back on the ground laughing hard enough for tears to stream down his face. Red Goomba was also chuckling, though his laughter had an air of smugness to it. One could almost see him folding his arms in front of him, if he had them.

This reaction over the newcomer's name was to be expected, of course. Amused, Jolene smiled and held up her hand, so as to stop the noise temporarily and continue her speech.

"I know that by hearing his name, you all must have your doubts about this guy. Just watch the way he fights and you may change your minds. I listened to this guy's story earlier and while his goal is…a little questionable, it nevertheless got me interested. If this guy fights as good as he talks, then I don't think we're wasting time, here…" She coughed slightly and cleared her throat.

"But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's check in with the Goomba Bros. and see how they're doing." She walked over to Red Goomba, who was still looking smug.

"Good afternoon, Red Goomba," she said, "How are you and your brother doing today?"

"We're ready to bust some noggins wide open!" Red Goomba replied, sounding just as confident as he looked.

"That's good to hear," said Jolene. Her expression suddenly turned serious. "I have to say, though, this new guy talks a big game. From what he told me, he sounds like he doesn't mess around. Any thoughts on this?" She gestured her microphone towards Red Goomba. His smug grin went wider.

"So what? The guy talks tough. A lot of them do. But, he's small time, guaranteed. Know how I know? It's his name: Persistent Egghead. That kind of says it all, doesn't it? First, he's an egghead, which means he probably has his nose in the books all the time and exercises his brain more than his body. So he's a wimp. And second, he's persistent, and to me that means that no matter what he's done to make it here, one thing's for sure: he always LOSES. And when you bring him out onto this stage, it's guaranteed he will lose again. Right? Am I right?"

Cheers erupted from the audience as Jolene brought the mic away from Red Goomba and over to Blue Goomba. Red Goomba smiled and closed his eyes, feeling very pleased with himself.

"Blue Goomba, your thoughts?"

Blue Goomba, however, was still on the ground, laughing as if someone was tickling him.

"Can't…stop…laughing……name…too…funny…"

"Well, you heard 'em, folks," Jolene said, bringing the mic back to her lips. "These two really think they can handle our newest fighter. Now, let's have them put their money where their mouths are." She gestured towards the door on the far right side (from where she was standing.) "Bring out the challenger! The Persistent Egghead!"

The door opened and the Koopa obediently walked into the arena and onto the stage. The audience reacted to the new fighter in different ways. Some laughed out loud at his name or appearance while others chatted with each other about the same. There were cheers and hollering, but no one booed. '_All good signs so far,'_ the newcomer thought to himself.

Nevertheless, walking onto the stage, the Koopa was hit by several different emotions at once. He felt hopeful about the battle, confident about his skills and embarrassed and humiliated by his fighter name. Once he got onto the stage and got a good look at his opponents, he recognized them immediately, and this made him feel angry. He clenched his fists.

The Goombas also got a good look at their opponent and all at once their defiant attitude towards their new challenger faded away. Red Goomba no longer looked smug and Blue Goomba stopped laughing. The expression on their faces now indicated familiarity, shock, and worry. Red Goomba was the first to speak. He sounded like he was ready to panic.

"Y…you're Jr. Troopa!" he exclaimed. The Koopa smiled, despite himself.

"Well, well. I never thought I'd run into YOU guys, here. It's certainly been awhile. How are things?" he asked calmly.

"Wh…what are you doing here?" Blue Goomba stammered. Meanwhile, Jolene had walked back to her spot on the stage. She rolled her eyes.

'_Oh, that's nice. They know each other. Looks like this fight is gonna take awhile, then,'_ the promoter thought to herself. She walked over to Jr. Troopa. "Well, Egghead," Jr. Troopa grimaced upon hearing his new name. "I don't know if you heard, but these two feel like they can take you on. Your thoughts on this?" She gestured the mic towards Jr. Troopa. The Koopa just smiled.

"I heard everything those two said," he said, sneering, "They're talking a pretty tough game for 19th place, aren't they? All mouth and no muscles. If you ask me, that's even worse than only 'exercising your brain', huh, Reddy?"

Red Goomba just gulped. "Um…" was his only response. Jr. Troopa pushed the mic away and took a step towards his opponents. He pointed towards them. The two Goombas flinched.

"You know, I still haven't forgiven you for abandoning me when you were part of my gang. Why did you do that? I thought you'd have more pride than that!" he spat at them.

"Now…now listen, man," Blue Goomba began, very slowly, "You were our leader and we were all right with that. But how do you think it looks when your leader loses to the same stupid-looking guy over and over? That kind of says something about us. If we're lackeys to you, and you keep losing…" Jr. Troopa closed his eyes, infuriated.

"Urrrgh, why did you have to bring that up?!" All at once, he thought back to the day the Goomba Bros. had resigned from the neighbourhood gang.

_He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Expressions of shock and bewilderment were evident on his face, mixed in with the extreme tiredness and stinging pain in his head, arms and legs. He had just recently swam from the Toad Town harbour all the way to Lavalava Island, only to swim all the way back to Toad Town harbour again when he realized that his target had already left the island on the back of a giant whale. The fight that broke out soon after turned into his most embarrassing defeat yet, as he had wasted most of his energy swimming. And then, to hear what the Goomba Bros. had just said to him, after witnessing said embarrassing defeat. He was almost at a loss for words._

"_But…but…it's not fair! How can you do this to me?!" he asked, incredulous._

"_Hey, don't take it personally, man," Red Goomba said, "but word on the street is right. You are a washed-up loser. Ever since that rumour went around last week about you losing in a fight twice, your image has suffered really badly. I'm almost ashamed to call you our leader." He couldn't believe it. He was being abandoned. He got to his feet and countered Red's argument quickly._

"_So…so what are you two going to do now?!" he spat, viciously. "Go back to the Goomba King? He lost to that same stupid sucker, too!"_

"_Yes, I'll admit he did," said Blue Goomba. "But, then again, he only lost once. This means we still have faith in his leadership. You, on the other hand, have lost…" he thought hard about this. "…what…three times, now? Four? I've lost count."_

"_That doesn't matter, guys," Jr. Troopa countered quickly. "Come on! I haven't given up, yet! As I was swimming back over here, I got this idea into my head about a magic course! I hear a Magikoopa teaches a magic course over at the dojo every summer. If we knew magic, we'd be unstoppable!" He got back down on his knees. He was sounding quite desperate, now. "Please, guys. You can't give up on me now!" But his 'friends' wouldn't listen._

"_Sorry, man. Our minds are made up," Red Goomba said, with absolutely no emotion. The two turned to leave._

"_See you later, man. It's been real," said Blue Goomba with his back turned._

_Jr. Troopa just sat there, bewildered. He felt shocked, hurt and betrayed. Why would his friends do this to him? Didn't he mean more to them than that? Angered to the point of crying, he clenched his fists and turned his back to the Goombas and faced the docks, silently vowing revenge…_

"Uhh…that, uh…" Red Goomba was visibly shaking now. He had no idea what was going to happen, now. Jr. Troopa started smiling smug again.

"So, you two want to give up yet? It's time I got back at you for back then," he said. All at once, Blue Goomba realized something.

"Wait a second! That happened years ago!" he almost shouted. Jr. Troopa stopped, realizing this. "Are you telling me you've held a grudge on us for that long? I mean, look at how much you've changed since then."

For the first time in a while, Jr. Troopa took note of his appearance. He wore brown shoes that were a size up from his old size. He was no longer wearing his eggshell around him. Instead, he was wearing a green Koopa shell which seemed to fit him perfectly. He was still wearing the top half of his eggshell on his head; he liked the feel of it. Now, though, the eggshell had a nasty crack on the top and was slowly making its way down towards the center of his forehead. It was unclear to him how much longer the shell would last, especially now that he had become a fighter in the Glitz Pit. He smiled again.

"My appearance may have changed, but I'm still the same old Jr. Troopa…at least for now," he pointed at his opponents, "which means you're going down!" He gestured towards Jolene. "Can we start already?!" he shouted. Jolene almost jumped at that question. She spoke into the mic and raised her opposite arm.

"Get ready to…BRAAAAAWL!"

A loud gong rang out and the battle began. Jr. Troopa jumped backwards towards his end of the arena and planted his feet firmly on the ground. He gritted his teeth as his condition for advancement in the ranks flashed in the back of his mind. He had to let his opponent damage him twice. He wouldn't outwardly admit it, but Prince Mush was right. His pride was sure to suffer after this.

"I don't know why you would hold a grudge on us for so long, but if you're really in this to kill us, then we're not holding back, either!" Red Goomba shouted at the top of his lungs. This caused some of the crowd to hoot and holler.

"Yeah, get ready, punk!" Blue Goomba shouted as well. Both of them seemed very afraid for their lives.

"_Idiots…"_ Jr. Troopa thought, disgusted. Did they really think that he was out to kill them? If he had really wanted to settle his revenge with the Goomba Bros. he would've hunted them down a long time ago. No. Meeting them here was pure coincidence, and nothing more.

Suddenly, he was brought to attention as the Goombas began their attack. Red Goomba thundered over to his opponent, jumped into the air and head bonked him. Blue Goomba followed suit. Jr. Troopa grinned. A few seconds in and already his condition for victory was met. Now, all he had to do was win the match. Then, he winced from his newfound pain. His opponents may be Goombas, but that ultimately meant nothing. They were hard-hitters. If he underestimated them, he would end up losing, no doubt about it.

Flashing a smile, from his shell he produced an eggshell top with a very sharp and painful looking spike on it. He sneered as he switched his old eggshell hat with the new one. Then, without warning, he lowered his head down like a bull and charged forward towards Red Goomba. He struck his target before it had a chance to move away.

"Oww," he said, wincing. Jr. Troopa's attack had caused Red Goomba a lot of pain. "That hurt!" He turned to his brother. "Come on, bro! Let's show this creep the wrath of the Mighty Goomba Bros.!"

Blue Goomba sneered. "You're in for it now, old buddy!"

For a second, Jr. Troopa actually looked worried. However, instead of baffling him with their newfound courage, the Goombas just went about attacking normally. Red Goomba head bonked Jr. Troopa in the exact same spot. This proved to be a fatal mistake. As his noggin struck the spike, he jumped back, shrieking loudly.

"Aaaaaagggghhhh!!! It's like someone pounded a nail into my head!" he shouted.

Incredulously, Blue Goomba did the exact same thing. "Waaaaahhhhhh! You're right!" he wailed.

Jr. Troopa rolled his eyes. _"Geez. Were these guys always this stupid?"_ he wondered. It was common sense, really: If someone has a spike on his head, don't jump on it! Pushing his thoughts away, he ran up to Blue Goomba and jumped on his head.

The Koopa was stunned to silence as both Goombas once again tried head bonking their opponent, with disastrous results. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He was practically laughing.

"It's not fair!" yelled Blue Goomba. Both Goombas were crying, now. It was evident that they couldn't take much more punishment. "Why do you have to have a spike on your head? Why??? You're…you're cheating!"

Jr. Troopa flashed an even wider grin. He knew very well that head bonking was pretty much a Goomba's ONLY method of attack. Except for Hyper Goombas, he had yet to meet a Goomba who attacked differently. This meant that the battle was over, no question.

"See you later, guys. It's been real," he said. The Goombas winced. Ironically, this was exactly how they had parted ways with their former gang leader. Now they knew they were in for it. Crouching down, Jr. Troopa picked up speed by running in place, then charged forward, ramming into Red Goomba again, only this time the impact was so great that Red flew backwards into his brother. Both Goombas toppled off the stage and landed in a heap on the floor. They were NOT getting back up again.

"Urrrrgggghhhh…" they both uttered, incoherently.

Jolene shook her head in disbelief. She walked over to Jr. Troopa and raised her arm up high, mic in front of her lips.

"Well, we've certainly found our winner, folks! The Perrrrrrsistent Egghead!" she shouted. Cheers erupted from the audience. They seemed to be pleased with the battle just witnessed. Jr. Troopa again winced at the sound of his fighter's name. Jolene turned to the Koopa. "Tell me, sir, what did you think of this fight?" She gestured her mic towards him.

"This fight? What a joke! I've seen normal Goombas fight better than these guys! At least they're smart enough to run away!"

"_Yes, you certainly had the advantage, there. Perhaps it WAS almost unfair_," Jolene thought to herself. She turned to the audience. "Well folks, the Persistent Egghead has spoken. This guy obviously knows what he's doing. I expect this kid will continue to show us all what he's made of in the coming battles and give true meaning to his name." She looked at Jr. Troopa out of the corner of her eye. "I don't think he'll disappoint us. Let's hear it for our newest rising star, folks! The Persistent Egghead!"

The whole audience cheered loudly as Jr. Troopa pumped his fists in the air, laughing and shouting. To the normal onlooker, the Koopa seemed like he was very pleased with himself.

Jr. Troopa was escorted back to his locker room. Jolene and Prince Mush were with him. Jolene had a clipboard in her hand and was writing down several things on it. Without warning, she stopped writing, looked towards him, and spoke. She sounded serious, as if she was concerned about something.

"Well Egghead, I must say, you did very good out there. But, in the future, know that you have to play to the crowd more. Make them feel like they're part of the fight, instead of being just spectators." She paused and looked at her clipboard. "Now, you met the condition I set for you and I am pleased to say that you can now challenge a higher-ranked fighter, but in the coming matches, I want you to have the crowd on the edge of their seats. We're putting on a show for them. Let's make it something they'll remember for awhile." She paused again, looking back up at Jr. Troopa. "Did you get all that?"

"Yes, ma'am!" he said, nodding. Jolene nodded as well, pleased that she was able to come to an understanding.

"Good," she said. "I suppose if that's everything, then I shall be on my way. My brother will take it from here. You have a nice day, sir."

With that, Jolene adjusted her glasses and left the room. Prince Mush closed the newly made gap.

"Well, good job, Egghead," he said. Jr. Troopa winced once again. Prince Mush held out his hand. "So, after each fight, I give you fight money. The better you do in the ranks, the more money you get. After all, we have to let the fighters know that they're not doing this for nothing."

Jr. Troopa stretched out his hands. He felt enthusiastic until he saw he was handed a measly three coins. He looked at his earnings in disbelief.

"What, that's it?!" he asked, incredulous. Prince Mush just stared at him.

"Like I just said, the higher up you are in the ranks, the more money you receive. How would it look to the higher ranking fighters if the no-names got all the benefits?"

"…………" Jr. Troopa didn't know how to respond to this. "I…I suppose. But…aww…but…ehh! That how it always goes, doesn't it? The new guy always has it rough!"

Prince Mush smirked. "Now, doesn't that give you the incentive to try harder? Wellgottagogotsomethingstodoseeya!" Hurriedly, he ran out the locker room before Jr. Troopa had the chance to respond to his question.

For a moment, the Koopa just stood there wondering what just happened. Then, he stifled a grunt. He didn't care how much money he got. He would reach his goal all the same. The battle he had just won was proof of that. And in the end, money was not what he was after, here.

He was about to leave when he heard someone clear his throat behind him. He spun around to find that Master Crash was looking right at him.

"I saw your fight BOMB," he said. "You did very good out there, I must BOMB admit, but let me tell you something. The battle you just won was more of a test than anything; a sort of BOMB initiation, if you will. Getting to Rank 19 shows that you are BOMB serious, and that's a good sign." He narrowed his eyes into slits. "Because it only gets harder from here BOMB-BOMB!"

Jr. Troopa just stared at the Bob-omb. "Thanks for the advice. Again. But, if you think that kind of talk intimidates me, you've got another thing coming."

"Fair enough BOMB!" replied Crash. He lowered his voice. "And just between you and me, the Goomba Bros. are BOMB just plain weak. Even when the old team under that BOMB name disbanded and the new team formed up, very little changed. ANYBODY can beat them BOMB-BOMB."

"Yeah, I gathered that."

Master Crash look turned as serious as he could make it. "I kid you not, friend. The fighters that BOMB await you are in for keeps. If you try to outrank one of them, they will not make it easy for you BOMB."

"That's right!" came a voice Jr. Troopa didn't recognise. Looking around, he watched as the Dull Bones he saw earlier waddled up next to Master Crash. "You fight me next, and unlike those stupid Goombas, I won't lose so easily!"

"You see, friend BOMB?" Master Crash suddenly looked quite confident. "Getting through this may be harder than you think BOMB-BOMB."

Suddenly, Jr. Troopa found himself not wanting to deal with the newfound stuffiness in the air. He turned to the door.

"Aw, leaving already BOMB? The pressure too much for you?" If he had lips, Master Crash would be smirking. Jr. Troopa shot him a dirty look.

"I'm just going to that Juice Bar I saw earlier. I'm suddenly thirsty."

Without another word, he left the locker room, his soon-to-be-opponents laughing behind him. As he stepped into the arena lobby, he could hear lots of cheering. Adoring fans of one of the fighters were crowding the room, shouting, cheering and laughing. Groaning, he tried to make his way through the crowd towards the front door. Interestingly enough, as he pushed though the excited onlookers, he found he couldn't tell for whom the crowd was cheering for. Looking around, all he could make out was a greenish mohawk, which was the source of the crowd's cheering. Also, from the loud din, he could make out that the fighter's name was 'Gonzales' or 'Gonzoogis' or something. He couldn't exactly tell, due to all the shouting.

Pushing this out of his mind, he made his way to the door and walked outside. Outside the Glitz Pit was a plethora of sights, ranging from Mr. Hoggle's hot dog stand to the weird looking Cheep Cheep Blimp (to which many new passengers had just arrived.) The area was filled with people gawking at the sights and people purchasing souvenirs. The place had a very relaxed, casual atmosphere. One look and you knew that Glitzville was the ultimate tourist attraction.

The sun still hung in the air, but was moving very slowly towards the west. Soon enough, the day would be over and night would begin. That would be when Glitzville would spring to life. The Rogueport Tour Guide rated Glitzville one of the top places to visit on a vacation and was known for its sights and sounds at dusk.

Briefly taking in the change of scenery, Jr. Troopa made his way over to the juice shop, The Watering Hole. He was about to enter, when he stopped. He frowned. Ever since he left the Glitz Pit, he had the feeling that he was being watched. He turned around. At once, the female Toad that was following him jumped slightly and looked away. For emphasis, she turned another direction and walked away. Jr. Troopa raised an eyebrow questioningly. After a few moments, he thought nothing of it and disappeared inside.

In contrast to the loads of people present outside the juice shop, inside was almost empty. The only ones present inside were the store owner and a female Toad that, for some reason, looked strangely familiar to him. Quietly, Jr. Troopa found his way to a table and sat down. The owner made his way over to him. He had a green head with a mustache and glasses, and three little hairs poking out from the top. He wore a green vest, had white pants and brown shoes. He had a glass in one hand and a cloth in the other. He appeared to be cleaning the glass. Jr. Troopa looked at him. He looked exactly like the bar owner in Rogueport. He had made a visit to the bar before coming to Glitzville. A relative, perhaps?

"Hey there, and welcome! Our doors are always open to thirsty fight fans! My name is Podler," he said. Sure enough. The bar owner in Rogueport, his name was Podley. "Can I get you anything this afternoon?" Jr. Troopa looked indifferent.

"I'll have a Froggie Drink. Lemon-flavoured, please," he said, disinterestedly.

"Coming right up, sir," was Podler's reply. Within seconds, Jr. Troopa had the drink in his hands. It even came with a straw. He was slurping away quietly when, before he knew, the female Toad who he thought looked familiar sauntered up to him. Her cap was white with pink spots and she had a bang of golden yellow hair that seemed to curl at the tip. She wore red, rounded earrings, red shoes and a black dress. She was stunningly beautiful. Well, for a Toad, at least.

"Um, do I know you? You look familiar," the Koopa said hesitatingly.

"Egghead…I sense…a great fire in you…but does it burn brightly?" the Toad said cryptically. All at once, Jr. Troopa recognised who it was.

"Oh hey, Jolene," he said, taking a sip of his drink. "What are you doing in that getup?"

Jolene laughed softly and sweetly. "When I'm out of the ring, I like to shed my other personality."

Jr. Troopa cocked an eyebrow at her. "Are you schizophrenic?"

"That's not what I meant. I meant I like to be myself out here instead of the curt, serious woman you see in the Glitz Pit. ...And no, I'm not," she said, sounding offended.

"Whatever, what is it?" He looked away.

"I just wanted to ask…from what you told me in my office…give me a reason…why I should let you continue on in the pit at all. I have to say, your goal…does not sound altogether…honourable, Egghead…"

Jr. Troopa winced again. He looked Jolene in the eye. "Listen, what I'm doing here is none of your business. This is something I want to do. It's…a goal of mine. If you get in my way, you're making yourself a target as well, and I know you don't want that!" He paused, then added, "Oh, and I know it can't really be helped in the ring, but when I'm somewhere other than the Glitz Pit, I would appreciate it if you stopped calling me by my fighter's name. It's embarrassing!"

Jolene scoffed. "Honestly, you have no idea how much that name suits you. But, very well. If that is your wish, I'll call you by your real name outside the ring. But, know that I don't do this for a lot of people, Jr. Troopa."

The Koopa grinned upon hearing his name. "Now that's more like it!"

Jolene turned around. "Well, that's it for now. I suppose I'll leave you to your fans."

"Fans?" Jr. Troopa looked quizzical. "What fans? I don't have any fans."

As if on cue, the entrance door opened, and the female Toad that Jr. Troopa saw earlier entered. Eyes widening, he took note of her appearance. Her cap was white with light blue spots. Interestingly, the light blue color seemed to be a recurring color of her appearance. She wore a pair of pants, a pair of bracelets, and a pair of shoes that each sported the same color. Even her eyes seemed to be the exact same shade of blue. The only things differently coloured about her was the vest she was wearing and her hair colour. The vest was a dark blue colour, while her hair was a very light shade of brown that went down the sides of her face resting just under jaw level.

She had a camera with her. It seemed to be rigged up in a way to take photographs for a newspaper. Jr. Troopa noticed the camera, and groaned silently. He really did not want to deal with a reporter right now, if she even was a reporter. This one seemed to be nervous and shy, a bad combination of emotions for a reporter. As soon as she saw that Jr. Troopa was looking at her, she looked away, embarrassed.

Jolene grinned and gestured towards the girl. "That fan, for one."

Jr. Troopa gawked at her. He was a cross between impressed, shocked and disturbed. "So, what are you, a psychic, now?!"

"Hmm Hmm Hmm. No I'm not," she said in a sing-song voice. "See you back in the ring." Then, without another word, she walked past the other female Toad and disappeared out the door.

Steeling her nerves, the girl slowly walked up to him, still looking away from him.

"Um, excuse me," she said nervously, "are you the Persistent Egghead?" Jr. Troopa cringed yet again. He looked away for a moment.

"Yeah, that's me," he replied, tersely. He looked back at her. "Why, who wants to know? Are you a reporter or something?"

Gulping slightly, the girl looked into his eyes. "Um, yes. I'm a reporter for the Glitzville Gazette. My name is…Lynn T. I saw your fight. You did very well. I was, uh, wondering if I could ask you a few questions."

Jr. Troopa sighed. "I'm not really in the mood for this, but then again, you probably aren't gonna go away, are you? So fine." He paused for a second, looking at her questioningly. "But before I do, I gotta ask: I know this is kind of sudden, but you look kind of timid. Isn't that a bad quality for a reporter?"

Lynn T. gasped slightly. "M…mister Egghead, I don't really think that's any of your business!" she stammered.

"Sorry," he said quickly, realizing he might have stepped over a line. "Anyway, what do you want to know?" From one of the pockets of her vest, the girl produced a small handheld tape recorder with a microphone attached to it. She hit 'Record' and brought the mic to her face.

"Well, um," the girl began, "I like to get a little background on all of the new fighters that enter the roster. I like to find out why they're here and keep track of their progress through the ranks. That way, I can post any breaking headlines in the news if anything really big happens."

"I see," said the Koopa in reply.

"Now, I had heard through a source that I won't mention," she continued, looking slightly more nervous, "that the reason why you are here is altogether questionable. For clarity's sake, just so no one gets the wrong idea, I was wondering if you could tell me why you have signed onto the Glitz Pit roster." Tentatively, she held the recording device in front of Jr. Troopa, the mic part pointed towards him.

Jr. Troopa, meanwhile, looked shocked. "Wh-what?! Where did you hear that?! Were you spying on me from somewhere? Or did Jolene set you up for this?" Lynn T. cringed at his words. He pointed at her, looking cross. "Weren't you just telling me to mind my own business?"

Lynn T. looked away, a guilty look in her pale blue eyes. "All the same, if you could just tell me…" There was a hint in her voice that seemed to say that she didn't want to go through with this. But she had to.

Jr. Troopa sighed. "Okay, if it'll make you feel better…" Lynn T.'s eyes turned towards him. The Koopa lowered his voice. "Now, I don't want to say this too loudly: I don't know much about this place. My experience lies in the Toad Town Dojo more than here, but I assume that fighters come here for their own reasons. Some come to support their families, some try to prove that they can accomplish anything they set their hearts on, and some just come because it looks like fun. Pretty harmless, right? My reason is slightly different from the others. It may shock you to hear this, but it's all on the level. I made this goal for myself and I WILL stick with it one hundred percent. Even if the chips are down, I'll get right back up again. You reading me here? The reason I'm here…"

A pause. Lynn T., caught up in the moment, bent forward expectantly. She definitely wanted to hear this. Jr. Troopa took a breath.

"…is to defeat a certain man."

For a long minute, there was nothing but silence. Lynn T. just stared at the Koopa, mouth slightly opened, dazed. She looked like she didn't know what to make of this conversation. For a moment, she almost regretted setting up an interview with this person. This was DEFINITELY not what she was expecting to hear.

"Oh..." she said, her emotions unreadable. "That's...interesting..."

Without looking away, she pressed 'Stop' on her recording device. Jr. Troopa noticed and took that as a sign to mean that the interview was over. He returned his attention to his drink.

"Was that all you wanted?" he asked, "If it was, could I ask you to go away, then? I want to be alone, now." Lynn T. snapped to attention.

"Oh, uh, yes, I think that's all I'm going to need for now." She smiled at him, despite herself. "Thank you for your time."

In response, the Koopa grunted, still not looking at her. Without waiting any longer, Lynn T. hurriedly made her way out of the juice shop. She opened the door, looking at him out of the corner of her eyes, and disappeared outside.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Egghead's makes a New Rival

"So you're in this to KILL somebody BOMB?!"

Master Crash's question was lost on Jr. Troopa as he just sat there on one of the hard benches. He looked stunned and angered. He was holding a copy of the Glitzville Gazette in his hands and was staring at it with full interest. What caught his attention was the headline on the front page printed in big, bold letters:

**NEW CHALLENGER SIGNS ON WITH INTENT TO KILL???**

He gritted his teeth as he read the headline in his mind again and again. He was flabbergasted! Lynn T. had only just interviewed him yesterday, and yet here was the printed newspaper, the very next day, and he had a rather incriminating article debasing him in the worst way possible.

The article explained that this new fighter had signed on with intent to perform questionable and unmentionable, violent acts on a certain person. It also went on advising the other fighters to be wary of this particular challenger, so as not to become a target of his unbridled fury. This as well as other incriminating, unproven claims were present in the article.

The Koopa was possibly seething. It was true that the only reason he signed onto the roster was to defeat a certain person, but the newspaper article he held in his hands depicted him as some heartless, insane beast with a penchant to cause random acts of violence. Such an image was not the way he wanted to be looked at. He DID want to defeat this person, but he didn't…

Suddenly, he was harshly brought back to reality as was knocked into the air by a sudden, loud explosion. He landed on the ground hard. He sat up, dazed.

"C-Can you hear me, n-now?" came Master Crash's voice. It sounded wobbly. Standing up and shaking his head, Jr. Troopa realized that Master Crash must have exploded on him to get his attention. He glared at the Bob-omb fiercely.

"Whaddya trying to do, kill me?!" he shouted. "What is it?!"

"A-Actually, that's what I want to ask you BOMB!" Crash responded. "That paper says you only signed up to kill somebody! If you ask me BOMB, you've become very suspicious!"

Jr. Troopa grunted and turned his head. This fool had no idea what he was talking about. "If I was in this to kill someone, why do you think I'd only wait until I was in the ring to cause damage?" he asked. "I'd be sneaking around in the hallways stalking people and waiting for them to let their guard down, not waiting around in my locker room like a good little Koopa." He threw out his hands. "I don't see me sneaking, do you?"

"Maybe…that's because…" Suddenly, Master Crash was awash with fright. "MAYBE THE ONE YOU WANT TO KILL IS IN THIS VERY ROOM BOMB!!!" Without warning, he started hopping in place and hyperventilating.

Jr. Troopa looked at his locker roommate in exasperation. "What…?"

"NO, IT HAS TO BE BOMB," Crash continued. He looked absolutely petrified. "WHY ELSE WOULD YOU HAVE BEEN SO HARD ON BONEY AS YOU WERE WHEN YOU FOUGHT HIM IN THE RING BOMB-BOMB???"

Jr. Troopa thought back. Earlier that morning, he had signed up for his second match: a battle against The Dead Bones, a three-shell team of Dull Bones, the aforementioned 'Boney' being the leader. Boney was also the Dull Bones that hung out in the locker room Jr. Troopa and Master Crash both occupied. He was the Dull Bones that had taunted him earlier. The battle ended as quickly as it began, as Jr. Troopa had defeated all three Bones in a single hit by sliding into them with his shell, rolling around on his stomach.

"I'd hardly say that I was as hard on Boney 'as I was.' He's just weak, that's all," replied the Koopa calmly.

"N-NO WAY! I DON'T BOMB BELIEVE THAT FOR A SECOND!!!" Crash yelled, unconvinced.

Jr. Troopa rolled his eyes. It was obvious that this guy wasn't going to listen to logic. Shrugging, he started to walk away.

"W-WHERE ARE YOU GOING BOMB?!" Jr. Troopa glared at the Bob-omb.

"Listen, would you stop yelling? It's annoying! And it hurts my ears," he said, his patience starting to wane. Master Crash took a deep breath, calming himself.

"Sorry," he said, "Now, as I was saying, where are you going BOMB?" Jr. Troopa pointed to the only bed in the room.

"I don't really know why you care, but I'm just going to catch a quick snooze before I sign up for my next match."

"Sure, you say that BOMB," Master Crash narrowed his eyes into slits, looking cautious. "But maybe, you are trying to lull me into a false of security and as soon as my back is turned…" He paused for a moment, then suddenly, "BOMB BOOM BANG! And I am dead!" Everyone stared at Crash as he mimicked a not-quite-dead corpse, lying on his back, twitching and writhing in agony.

Jr. Troopa sighed. Out of the corner of his eye, he shot a glance towards the newspaper article that flew out of his hands when Crash blew up next to him. He made a mental note that if he ever found Lynn T. again, he would give her a piece of his mind. Without another word, he walked over to the bed, which was empty, dove into the covers, and fell asleep.

A short while later, Jr. Troopa opened his eyes, finally giving in. His short snooze was anything but a comfortable one. In a locker room where everything was in a state of disrepair, it would be only natural to assume that the bed had its share of unpleasantries. There were some fresh, weird stains on the covers, the pillow was as hard as a rock and there was a spring sticking up from the too-soft mattress that Jr. Troopa would occasionally brush up against every time he shifted his position. He sighed in exasperation. The new guy really did have it rough, overall.

He sat up and jumped out of the bed, ready to sign up for his next match. All of a sudden, he was knocked to the ground as a baseball bat flew in from out of nowhere, smacking him in the face.

"Oww," he moaned, "what was…who threw that at me?" Looking around, he noticed Master Crash looking away in another direction while whistling a tune, trying to look innocent. Soon, he caught the Koopa's gaze. Jr. Troopa glared at him.

"Actually, I kicked that at you, as I have no hands BOMB," he answered sheepishly. "I guess I was just nervous BOMB-BOMB."

Sighing again, Jr. Troopa walked over to the computer terminal and tried reserving another match. The screen lit up as Jolene's head appeared.

"Hello, Egghead. You're ready for another match, are you? All right, let me see. Your next opponent is…Rank 17 in the Glitz Pit, the Armoured Harriers. Now pay attention. In this battle, I want you to finish things up in ten minutes or less. I originally had a meeting to attend, but not a little while ago I started to feel ill, so I will be postponing the rest of the matches for today. You should be honoured. Yours is the last battle of the day. Now get in there and make it quick. You never know when I may throw up…"

As the screen went blank, Jr. Troopa could hear a sigh of relief coming from behind him. He instantly recognized it as Crash's. Rolling his eyes, he turned around.

"Now what?" he asked, slightly aggravated.

"I am relieved. Yours is the last battle of the day." A beat, then, "THAT MEANS YOU CANNOT KILL ME!!!" he shouted joyfully.

"So? I'll get you some other day. And, besides," he flashed a toothy grin. "I could start stalking you outside the ring, you know. As soon as your back is turned…"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Unable to bear the pressure, Crash ran to one of the corners of the locker room, hiding his face and shivering like he'd just seen a Boo. Jr. Troopa just laughed. He continued laughing until the Swooper flew up to him.

"Why do you have to pick on him like that? I thought that wasn't the image you wanted for yourself," he said, looking a little puzzled.

"Oh, it isn't," the Koopa replied, "but I figure since this is the latest rumour in circulation, I might as well have some fun with it."

"I have to admit, that is pretty funny," said the bat, feeling humoured. "Crash is the highest ranking minor-leaguer in this locker room, so for some reason he takes that as an excuse to act like a pompous know-it-all. It's kind of nice to see him like this."

"Oh, isn't it, though?"

Soon enough, their laughter was interrupted by Security. Calming himself down, Jr. Troopa followed the stocky bouncer to the arena where his next match would begin.

The audience cheered as usual as the fighters took their places on the stage, ready for the next match. Jr. Troopa's opponent this time was a pair of Clefts who, much like the Goomba Bros., were a size up from the normal, garden-variety Clefts. They were both dark blue in colour, and had very sharp looking spikes protruding from their heads. The only thing that made one different from the other was, again much like the Goomba Bros., was the colour of the shoes they wore. One wore red, the other wore green.

The Koopa frowned. Spikes. This would be one match where jumping on heads would be a bad idea. In fact, just by looking, he could see that his opponents were rock solid. Not much of anything looked like it would work on them. Trying to hide his nervousness, he wracked his brain, desperately trying to come up with a plan.

Meanwhile, as always, Jolene put her microphone to her lips, ready to speak. She sounded like she was coming down with something.

"For our final match of the day, we've got the Ultimate Chip Shoulder, the Persistent Egghead…" she coughed a couple times, then, "and the Iron Adonis Twins! Yes, a furious battle with the Armoured Harriers!

Jolene looked to Jr. Troopa, waiting for him to say something. As with all the matches, it was customary for each fighter to say a brief opening statement before the battle began. Jr. Troopa, however, was thinking too hard about his own dilemma to notice what was going on at that particular time.

"Aw, nothing at all to say?" spoke the Cleft with red shoes, "I'm not too surprised. Egg-headed nerds like you always were too reserved to speak up in crowds…"

"Bro, look at him! He's obviously been stunned into silence," the green-shoed Cleft replied. "I suppose that's to be expected. Our iron bodies are incredible."

"Right you are, bro," said the red shoed Cleft again. "Now come on! We're not gonna lose, this time!"

Jolene raised her arm. "Get ready to…hack! Cough, cough, cough. Ohhh…BRAAAAAWL!"

The gong rang out and the battle began. Jr. Troopa's nervousness started to come through. The audience members sitting closest to the stage could tell that the Koopa was looking worried. In turn, some of the fans cheering for him started to look worried. Would this be where the Persistent Egghead would meet his end?

Both Iron Clefts guffawed loudly. "How unfortunate for you. You've actually been able to work up a small number of fans. Fans of the Persistent Egghead," Red Shoes said, feeling cocky. "Now, you wouldn't want to disappoint them, would you? Too bad! We're about to crack your egghead wide open!"

"Our bodies are made of solid iron," said Green Shoes, also feeling cocky, "which means that no matter what you try will be pretty much pointless. I mean, it's not like you're a Yoshi or anything."

Jr. Troopa's thoughts were interrupted by the pair's latest taunts, where he then mulled over certain words in his mind. "Iron…Yoshi…no matter what I try……!!!!!"

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, he was hit by a moment of inspiration, and not a moment too soon. Both Clefts were charging towards him at the exact same time. He jumped away, just missing being hit. As they circled back, he dodged again. This continued for a little while. Even when the Clefts charged towards him from different directions, he still managed to avoid getting hit. This was partly due to the fact that the Clefts were not running very quickly. Those iron bodies had to be heavy. Nevertheless, he had managed some pretty bare misses. If he reacted any slower than he did, he would be in a lot of pain. Those spikes definitely looked like they could perforate a soft-skinned being.

Soon, the running and dodging had ended and all three combatants were looking at each other, breathing heavily. In the background, several audience members started booing and shouting at both teams. Since the battle had started, basically nothing was happening. They had wanted to see blood and they felt like they were being ripped off.

Jolene wasn't doing too hot, either. Her fever had started to get worse, and she really needed the battle to end before she, like she had said earlier, started to throw up. Six minutes in, and no hits were made. Frustrated, she decided to end the match in a draw. Before she could say anything however, the red shoed Cleft spoke up.

"Huuh…You're a quick one…aren't you?" he said, trying to catch his breath.

"No one's been fast enough to dodge us for this long…" said Green Shoes, amazed at the Koopa's dexterity, "but that's as far as you go! We're gonna end this battle right now!" They stepped next to each other and began to charge again.

Jr. Troopa inhaled, also trying to catch his breath. Then he grinned. "Not if I end it, first!" he said, feeling confident. From his shell, he produced a strange looking stick. It stretched up about two feet in length and coiled into a ball at the end opposite to where he was holding. It looked like an old man's cane. "Say hello to my magic wand!" he shouted.

The Clefts seemed not to hear this as they charged towards him for what seemed like the hundredth time. Very calmly, Jr. Troopa raised the wand above his head, then quickly thrust it forward. A mist of magic dust sprang from wand's tip and enveloped the two Clefts. Suddenly, there was a puff of smoke, which hung in the air for a good few seconds. Several audience members looked forward in anticipation, wondering what was going to happen next. Soon enough, the smoke cleared and the Clefts that were once on stage had seemingly vanished. In their place were two walnut-sized raisins with eyes, mouths and different coloured shoes.

"What? What happened?" the red shoed raisin asked, very worried.

Then, before they knew what was happening, Jr. Troopa sped over to them, picked them up before they had a chance to get away, popped them in his mouth and bit down hard! This generated a wave of surprised shouting from the audience. Then, he spat them back out. When they hit the floor, there was another puff of smoke. When the dust settled, the Clefts were back to normal. They were both sprawled out on the floor, defeated.

"Uhhgggghhh…didn't see that coming…" Red Shoes said, sounding very pained.

"Has our rank dropped even lower, now? We really do stink, bro…" said Green Shoes, obviously in a lot of pain.

"Don't remind me!"

Jolene had a weird look on her face. She appeared to be thinking something over. After a few seconds, she shrugged. The battle was over and that was all she really cared about. She raised her free hand.

"We've got ourselves a winner…The Perrrrrsistent Egghead!"

Jr. Troopa smirked. "Anything I do will be pointless, huh? Then how come I still won?" The audience cheered once more as he started laughing heartily.

Jolene coughed loudly. "Ok, everyone out! It's time to close for the day. Until tomorrow, everybody!"

After being escorted back to his locker room, Prince Mush gave Jr. Troopa his fight money. He gave a gasp of fake joy after being handed the five coins. Prince Mush nodded in understanding, going along with the joke.

"Well, as long as you're happy," he said, smiling. Then, he changed the subject. "Also, before I forget, Jolene wants to see you in her office immediately. You'd better hurry. She doesn't look so hot."

"Hmm. Ok." Not knowing what to expect, Jr. Troopa obediently made his way down the strangely empty hallway over to the promoter's office. He found her just outside her office. Taking a good look at her, Jolene looked even worse than she had in the ring. She had removed her red jacket and had it slung over one of her arms. She had a small thermometer in her mouth and was holding a red handbag containing a hot water bottle and some papers. The Koopa guessed they were files of hers.

As soon as Jolene noticed her visitor, she coughed, removed the thermometer from her mouth and walked over to him. Jr. Troopa cautiously backed away.

"Are you contagious?" he asked, "because if you are, I don't want it."

Jolene coughed again. "Oh, hush. It's just a simple cold. I just never was good with dealing with them." The Koopa nodded in understanding. "Now, to be brief, I called you in here because of the last match. The way you fought brought an…issue…to my attention."

"Oh?" Jr. Troopa cocked an eyebrow at this. "And what's that?"

"The move you used to beat those two…um…"

"What, you didn't like my Yoshi imitation?" He couldn't help but snicker at this.

"It seemed to be a little on the…cheap side. You used magic to change their appearance. Even a team that we once had here, the Magikoopa Masters, even they didn't use their magic like that. It's complicated to explain…" She seemed at a loss for words.

Hearing this, Jr. Troopa seemed outraged. "That's not fair! You're saying that what I did was illegal?!" he sputtered. He thought about it for a second. "Let's look at it this way: you say the Magikoopa Masters had access to magic. If that's true, then they could have easily used their powers to alter their appearance." He pointed at her. "Now, you say they didn't use their magic like that, but, suppose for a second that they did. Would you call what they did illegal?"

There was a short pause as Jolene considered this. As she thought about it, however, she found she was having trouble coming up with an answer.

"Uh, yeah," she said, finally, "yeah, I think so…" Jr. Troopa just stared at her. He could tell she was lying through her teeth.

"You don't sound very sure of yourself. That is so unlike you," he said.

Jolene gulped. She did not like where this conversation was going. "…Ok, maybe I wouldn't," she said at last.

Jr. Troopa tried to stay calm. "Then…then why are you picking on me all of a sudden?"

She sighed. It was unavoidable now. "Earlier this morning, I bought the local newspaper and I came across a rather…interesting article…" she said, slowly.

Jr. Troopa was livid. "Don't tell me you're buying into that article are you? I already told you, I'm here to defeat a certain man, NOT to kill him!"

"I know…I know you did," she coughed again before continuing. "But seeing that article kind of got me thinking. After all, 'defeat' and 'kill' sort of have the same meaning, you know what I mean?"

Jr. Troopa sighed. "You mean…" Jolene gave him a look that said that she was being one hundred percent serious.

"For once and for all, give me one good reason why I shouldn't delete you off of the roster and have you banned from the Glitz Pit right now! Better yet, tell me why I shouldn't have you arrested."

Pausing, Jr. Troopa took a breath. "Back when I was younger, I was the boss of the neighbourhood gang, where I was. I had everything: respect, a sweet little pad, even had a cute little Goomba girl who liked following me around. I had it all. Then one day, a man came and vandalized my play area. He even stole that little Peach doll that I had bought for my little lady." He lowered his voice a bit as he went on another tangent. Y'see, when she lost hers, I found it, and I noticed it had a large rip in it, so I bought her a new one, in the hopes of giving it to her." Backing himself on track, he started to get angrier.

"Well, I was deeply offended. What kind of creep goes around tearing up other people's stuff?! I wasn't gonna stand for that! Y'see? It's almost like HE started all this, not ME! Anyway, so I tried beating him up, but he beat me to the punch. I got my butt handed to me, but I wasn't going to give up. Victory would soon be mine!" He paused as he lowered his voice again, clenching his fists.

"But the more I tried, the harder it was for me. This guy seemed to be even stronger than he was during our previous encounters…every time! Soon enough, I began to lose everything. I was ridiculed, my entire gang broke up--you heard it during my fight with the Goomba Bros--I lost my respect, dignity, even that little lady got up and vanished on me. Soon, things really turned ugly. This man took everything from me, and I swore that someday I would kill him no matter what it took!" Hearing this, Jolene tried to interject, but the Koopa stopped her quickly.

"Hold it. I said I wanted to kill him, but that mindset didn't last forever. Over time, I got to thinking that it was kind of silly to be fighting over such meaningless things like a neighbourhood gang. I really started to realize this after my seventh battle with him. I remember that one well. It's where I got this crack in my hat, here." He motioned to the crack in his eggshell hat.

"After that fight, I started thinking, 'this is stupid', and from there, I decided that I would only defeat this man, instead of kill him. After all, this wasn't the end of my life. I can still rebuild things for myself and I will, but as of right now, as kind of like a first step, I want to defeat this man." He paused, looking at Jolene. "And that's where this place comes in. As soon as I heard about this place, I thought to myself, 'ok, I'll wait until I'm a little older, then I'll sign up to be an official member of the Glitz Pit. With this under my belt, I'll defeat that man for sure. And that is why I'm here, because I still don't have what it takes to defeat him yet."

Jr. Troopa breathed out heavily. He looked at Jolene. She had heard everything he had said and was seriously thinking things over.

"I feel like I told you about all of this, already…" he said, unsure of what to say next. Jolene coughed slightly.

"You did…but not with that much detail…"

For what seemed like an eternity, all was silent. Jr. Troopa was obviously nervous. If he was kicked out at this point, he would never achieve his goal. It was as if his very future now depended on whatever Jolene was about to say.

Finally, she spoke. "Even though every fibre in my being tells me to do the opposite, I…will allow you to stay on our roster. But I say this to you now, for awhile, you are going to have to watch what you do in the ring. The newspaper article printed earlier this morning…"

"That article does nothing but spread unproven, biased lies! 'Intent to kill'…that's not my intent at all!" Jr. Troopa almost shouted this out.

"So you say," she replied, tersely, "But the fact remains that because this article presents you in a negative light means that you're going to have to watch what you do in the ring for awhile. If people thought that there was a killer in the ring, well, it wouldn't be good to anyone, really. This means…"

The Koopa did not like where this was going. "That means I'm gonna have to start going a little easier on people, is that it?"

"Correct," Jolene replied, "Now, after enough deliberation, I've decided that your win against the Armoured Harriers was legitimate and that your rank is 17, now. Just watch which tactics you go with and you'll be fine. Also, to try and nip this scandal before it blooms too much, the conditions I set for you now are going to be twice as hard. How would it look to everyone else if a killer was given sympathy?"

This aggravated the Koopa quite a bit. "ANYTHING to drag it all out."

Jolene noticed the aggravated tone in his voice. "I don't want to hear it. If you have anything to say about this, I suggest you sort it out with the ones who published this morning's article."

Jr. Troopa was suddenly overwhelmed with the image of Lynn T.'s face. "You bet I will!"

"Fine. That is all for now, Egghead. Now, if you'll excuse me…" She turned to leave, but stopped suddenly. A nagging doubt was playing on her mind. She turned back to the Koopa. He looked at her.

"Egghead, before I go, I have a question that needs answering. I don't mean to pry any further than I have to, but…this man…if you don't mind, what is his name?"

Jr. Troopa paused, unsure of whether to answer this. Steeling his nerves, he opened his mouth, answering plainly and honestly, "…Mario…"

All at once, Jolene was hit with a wave of emotions: surprise, alarm, confusion, and disbelief. As well, many memories of times long since forgotten started resurfacing, all because of the name she had just heard. She coughed violently.

"Excuse me. I must not be hearing you correctly. Did you just say…'Mario'?

Before Jr. Troopa could answer, there was a shrill scream rang out from behind them.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT????!!!!"

Startled, both of them turned to face the source of the noise. Both of them watched as a Yoshi walked up to them, positively seething. He was red in skin colour, sported a pair of green shoes, had a Mohawk of the same colour, and wore a black and white polka-dotted saddle on his back. He hadn't reached adulthood yet, but he wasn't a kid anymore, either.

"Did I just hear you say that you wanted to kill the Great Gonzales?!" he demanded, rage apparent in his voice.

Jr. Troopa looked at this Yoshi like he had lost his mind. "What?!" he asked. "Gonzales? Who's Gonzales? I'm talking about a guy named Mario! And I don't wanna kill him, I…"

"It's Gonzales!" The Yoshi cut him off. Then he paused, shaking his head. "No…darn it! I really gotta stop calling him that. I…I know everyone knows him as Mario, but I know him as Gonzales. I always have."

"Oh, you're an acquaintance of his?" Jr. Troopa frowned. He wasn't expecting this. He pointed to the Yoshi. "Listen, kid. I came here with the intent to one day defeat Mario, and I'm sorry if you feel for him, but I'm not going down on my word."

"Ahah! You do want to kill him! That article was right!" the Yoshi shouted.

"Urrgghhh! That stupid article! How many times do I have to say this?" Jr. Troopa's patience was beginning to slip away. "I want to DEFEAT Mario! Not KILL him! There's a big difference between these two words, you know!"

Jolene meekly interjected. "Gonzales Jr., how much of our conversation did you overhear?"

"I heard ALL of it!" the Yoshi shouted. "And don't think I believe a word of what he said! Gonzales would never go around tearing up people's things! That's not like him at all!"

Jr. Troopa's eyes widened, then narrowed into slits. "Are you calling me a fibber?! The guy came in on his own accord and messed up MY playground. You think that, at the time, I was just gonna let that slide?!"

The Yoshi looked determined. "He would NEVER do that! That's just you trying to get him in trouble! And now you want to kill him! And that article proves it!"

Jr. Troopa stomped his foot with pure rage. He had had enough of that stupid article. If he ever found Lynn T. again, he would seriously set her straight.

Aw, no use trying to hide it!" The Yoshi pointed at him. "You have a goal, and that goal is to kill Mario! Well, as a friend of his, I won't let that happen! If we ever meet in the ring, you're dead, Eggshell-for-brains!" He stormed off.

"Hey, where do you…come back!" But the Yoshi didn't hear as he opened a door not too far away from them and disappeared inside. Jr. Troopa turned to Jolene. "Who was THAT guy?!"

Jolene hesitated, then, "Jr. Troopa, I hate to tell you this, but that is The Great Gonzales Jr., friend of Mario's, who was named The Great Gonzales when he signed up here."

Those words put Jr. Troopa into a daze. So Mario had already gotten through here long before he even set foot in the place. What's worse was that he had already acquired the champ's belt. This man seemed to want to go to great lengths to make himself stronger. WHY?!

"And while I'm at it, it's worth mentioning that Gonzales Jr. is now the current champion of the Glitz Pit, as he has been for awhile," she added.

The Koopa felt like the world was spinning. Everything was happening too fast. Suddenly, he felt like there was no point in him being there. Somehow, the man he was after seemed to want to make himself unbeatable. What made it even worse is that he had followers to follow behind in his wake. Suddenly, it seemed as if everything was a waste of time…

…that he really was hopeless and weak…

Suddenly, he felt an intense fire well up inside him. He turned to Jolene, who seemed startled by him suddenly looking at her so intently.

"So, in order for me to reach my goal, I have to plough my way through the ranks and face off with a genuine ally of Mario's? Is that it?!"

Jolene seemed alarmed at his attitude. "It…it seems so. Why? What are…"

Jr. Troopa suddenly looked away. "So, to beat Mario, I have to make myself stronger than his friends. I accept that term!" He stared at Jolene, smiling. "And never mind fight conditions! Come what may, I can handle anything you throw at me! I'll get through this stupid pit, hack through the competition, and beat his friend into oblivion. If I can do that…" he trailed off and started laughing fiendishly as he made his way back to his locker room.

Jolene watched him leave then turned her gaze to the champion's room, which the Yoshi was occupying presently.

"Brace yourself, Gonzales Jr. I think you may have found yourself a new rival." She coughed violently, then gathered her things and started to leave. She walked a few steps then stopped, tilting her head up to the ceiling, her emotions unreadable.

"…Mario…"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – The Reporter becomes a Problem…

Sir Swoop didn't even know what had hit him. One moment he was butting heads with force and quickness equal to his opponent's, the next moment, he was crumpled up in a heap on the ground, dazed and seeing stars. 

The battle had gone by quicker than he would have liked. However much confidence the purple bat had in his abilities as a fighter, and he was confident (don't get the wrong idea), he knew he was in trouble when his opponent suddenly sprouted his own pair of dark purple wings, and on his BACK, no doubt. That meant for less strain on his arms. He thought this to be rather cheap, but he suspected there would be nothing against that kind of thing in the rule books. Now they were evenly matched, that was all.

Jr. Troopa stood his ground on the opposite side of the arena, panting heavily and trying to hold back his excitement. Finally, his opponent was lying on the ground in a heap. Now he had his one and only chance to secure his victory. He drew a deep breath as Jolene's voice rang through his mind:

"_Now listen closely. In order to fulfill your condition for victory, you must first wait until your opponent is dazed and on the floor. Then, if you are using your wings, which I assume you are, as your opponent can fly, you must fly all the way up the length of the room and cling to the ceiling like a Pider. Finally, without altering your direction, you must jump from the ceiling descend to the floor in a kind of spiral dive (think of a moving drill), strike your opponent on his head with YOUR head, then jump away and land on your feet. Fail to execute this perfectly and you will remain at your present rank. But don't worry too much about it. It's actually quite easy if you know your math."_

Jr. Troopa groaned as he steeled his nerves. After his meeting with Jolene a few days back, his objectives had been around this kind of difficulty. Since then, however, he was finding the matches to be increasingly harder to win. Even harder than they needed to be. One time, he remembered he was forced to endure the entire match upside-down, while walking on his hands. He may have won the match, but, because he fell down ten seconds in, his rank had stayed the same.

Taking into account his opponent's location on the arena floor, he spread his wings and jumped from the ground, flying up to the ceiling and slamming into it. He pressed his hands, feet and stomach to the top side of the room, fighting against gravity with all of his might. To the audience, the Koopa reminded them of ninja, standing its ground as if its appendages had sticky glue on them and preparing to strike.

Jr. Troopa grunted, turning his head and looking to the ground, sweating bullets. He had no idea if he was directly above his opponent or not. _"It's actually quite easy if you know your math"_… After this match he decided he would have to talk to Jolene once more about his difficult fight conditions.

And then, just when he thought he would have to blow another match, he felt a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead and all the way down to the front of his nose. He watched as the drop of water parted from his nose, fell through the air and land right on Sir Swoop's noggin. The bat, startled by the sudden light contact, looked up to the ceiling, wondering whether there was a leak in the building.

Jr. Troopa's eyes went wide as he realized what his opponent's sudden movement meant. With newfound energy, he jumped down from the ceiling and dropped to the floor headfirst, moving his body around in a spiral-like direction, just like a drill. And, before Sir Swoop realized what was happening, he felt a great pain, as the turtle's head collided head-on with his. Finally, without losing momentum, Jr. Troopa soared back into the air with the help of his wings, flipped around backwards and landed lightly on his feet.

"Ooogaahh…" Sir Swoop wobbled in place then fell down backwards, not bothering to get back up. The crowd cheered, indicating that the match was over. Jolene walked forward, wireless mic in hand, a look in her eyes that said she was obviously impressed by the scene she had just witnessed. She threw up her free hand.

"We've got ourselves a winner…The Perrrrrsistent Egghead!"

Jr. Troopa grinned, holding his head, feeling all wobbly. "Hah! Take that!" he said then fell over, his head spinning.

* * *

* * *

"I tell ya Troopa, that was some really impressive fighting there. I mean, I overheard Jolene explain your fight condition. Not even I thought you'd pull that one off!" Sir Swoop exclaimed when they were back in their locker room. He extended his wing to the turtle, who was standing right across from him.

"Heh. Neither did I. Good fight, man." Jr. Troopa held his hand out and shook the bat's wing. When he released it, he pumped his fists in the air. "This brings my rank to fourteen, now! I can't believe it! Even when the tides are against me, I still pull through! You hearin' me! I am gonna go all the way! I mean it!"

"I'm happy for you. Really," the bat said, with honest sincerity. "You beat me straight up. I…" Their conversation was interrupted by the sounds of loud shuddering. They turned their heads in the direction of the noise, expressions indicating confusion. There, in the corner of the room furthest from the two, stood Master Crash the Bob-omb. He was facing the wall, his knees were bent slightly, and he was shaking violently, most likely with fear. Smirking at Sir Swoop, who returned his smirk, he slowly walked towards the shaking bomb and stopped directly behind him, blocking him from the view of others. His smirk turned into a wide grin.

"What's wrong, Crash?" he asked calmly, putting a hand on the bomb's head (because he has no shoulders). At the touch of his hand, Crash shrieked loudly and jumped away. He stared at the Koopa, eyes wide and beads of sweat running down his body.

D-DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT BOMB!" he yelled, "ARE YOU TRYING TO GIVE ME A BOMB HEART ATTACK!" Jr. Troopa held his hands out in front of him, his smile still plastered on his face, although he seemed slightly pained. Apparently, the bomb's shriek had caught him off guard.

"Whoa! Man, you're jumpy today," he said, his tone of voice otherwise unaffected by the scream. "Just calm down and tell me what's wrong, alright? You look awful."

Master Crash drew a breath, trying to collect himself. "Well, I-I saw your fight BOMB and I saw that you won!"

"Uh huh," said the Koopa, taking a step forward.

"Not only that BOMB, but I saw that you met that super-hard condition that Jolene set for you!"

"Mm hmm. Go on." Jr. Troopa was slowly closing the gap between himself and Crash.

"That makes brings you to rank fourteen! And my rank is thirteen BOMB!"

"Golly, what does that mean?" the turtle asked, pretending that he didn't know the answer. He was standing right in front of the quivering bomb now.

"That means you fight me next BOMB-BOMB!" Master Crash was absolutely petrified.

Jr. Troopa placed his hand on the bomb's head again. "Exactly! And do you know what that means?"

There was a longish pause as Master Crash looked at Jr. Troopa right in the eyes, tears almost starting to form around his. "W-What?" he asked in a whimper.

"It means…" The turtle brought his mouth to about where the bomb's ear would be (if he had ears) and brought his voice down to a whisper. "…I'll murder you!"

"WWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Everyone covered their ears. Master Crash's shriek seemed like it was loud enough to shatter glass. Good thing there was no glass in the room. After blowing out his voice box, the bomb ran to the locker room entrance faster than even he thought possible, opened the door and disappeared, his screams echoing down the hall. Everyone in the room responded to this by laughter, even the Pale Piranha, even though he usually kept to himself all the time.

"Now where do you suppose he's going?" Sir Swoop asked, smiling.

"I dunno. Probably to resign, I guess." Jr. Troopa answered, chuckling. His response was met with more laughter.

This was how events would usually transpire in the minor-league locker room that Jr. Troopa occupied. The newspaper incriminating him was about five days old now, so by this point, anyone who frequented the Glitz Pit would know about the latest rumour in circulation. It was nothing but torture. The amounts of fans that Jr. Troopa was accumulating as he fought through the ranks would often ask him about it. Now he knew how television celebrities felt. The article was annoying and did nothing but spread lies. He was not in this to kill. But no matter how many times he tried to explain it, his words seemed to fall on deaf ears.

So far, though, he hadn't seen anything beyond that single article. He had decided to keep his copy of the article in case he ever ran into that reporter again. However, over the six days that he had been there, he hadn't seen hair or cap of Lynn T. anywhere. And he had spent at least a third of those days looking for her. Where was she!

Anyways, with the seriousness of the scandal hanging over his head, it was important for him to relax and remember to make light of the situation, before his rage consumed him. Fortunately, there was Master Crash the Bob-omb. Ever since he got the wrong idea about the article, he spent his days being fearful and paranoid and kept a close eye on his surroundings, no matter where he was. This made him the perfect target for the pranks that Jr. Troopa would often pull on him.

Then, there was Sir Swoop. Ever since he inquired on Jr. Troopa's stance on his scandal after making fun of the poor bomb before his fight with the Armoured Harriers, the two became fast friends. The two would share stories about their past, play games together, and take part in scaring Master Crash to death. A lot of laughs were shared between them.

As for fighting in the pit itself, Jr. Troopa found that things definitely were harder than he had first thought, not that he would ever openly admit it. Even without the detrimental handicap in his fighting conditions, he could feel a burning resolve in each of the other fighters. Everyone here was playing for keeps. It was evident in the way they fought. If…no…ONCE he would make it close to the top ranks, he would have to step himself up, or else he would get knocked down. And that was hard enough without fighting certain fighters more than once. In addition to him setting up his own fights, oftentimes the fighter that ranked just below him would challenge him to a rematch. So he would have to fight the same opponents again, faced with the same difficult fight conditions, all while trying to protect his rank.

The fight conditions…as explained earlier, his fight conditions had been doubled in difficulty to complete thanks to his 'motives'. These conditions would make an opponent difficult, sometimes even impossible to win against. One such condition involved him making his moves while break dancing. How the…? He couldn't break dance! Even after taking voluntary lessons, he still lost the match. After awhile he decided it was impossible to get ahead with his battle conditions deterring him.

And that was what brought him to his present situation. After the laughter had died down, Jr. Troopa proceeded to walk towards the door.

"Off, are you? Going after Crash to freak him out some more?" Sir Swoop asked, chuckling. The Koopa smiled.

"That is an idea, yeah. But, no. I have to speak to Jolene. It's about her getting rid of my handicap," he replied.

"Ah, trying to even things up, are you? Well, I won't keep you, then." The bat replied.

Jr. Troopa waved good-bye to the bat and walked out the door and into the narrow hallway, in the direction of the promoter's office. Then he gasped, as the first thing within his line of sight was a small female Toad wearing clothing of the light blue persuasion. She was sitting on the floor and holding her head. She appeared to be dazed.

"Ohh, my head," the girl moaned to herself, "why can't these fighters watch where they're going? That last one almost ran me over…"

Instantly recognizing the voice as Lynn T.'s, Jr. Troopa gawked and pointed in the direction of the Toad.

"HEY, YOU!" he shouted.

Lynn T. brought herself back to attention and saw the person who was yelling at her. She took one look at the turtle and almost screamed. She jumped to her feet and ran away in the other direction.

"HEY! GET BACK HERE!" Jr. Troopa's brow furrowed as all thoughts of speaking to Jolene faded into dust and he began to give chase. Lynn T. quickly disappeared around the corner with the turtle following a good distance behind. After rounding the corner himself, he stopped short, as his 'prey' was suddenly nowhere in sight. Had she gone through the whole hallway already? He knew she had got a good head start on him, but he didn't think it was that good.

Scratching his eggshell hat, he walked down the corridor, wondering how far ahead she was by now, but also trying to keep from looking suspicious. The big, burly, blue-headed security guards were standing in front of their respective doors, glaring at him for disturbing the peace. After all, running in the hallways was a no-no. He continued walking down the corridor until he passed a particular door. He stopped short and turned back, looking at the security guard in question.

As should be obvious, the function of a Glitz Pit security guard is to stand tall and vigilant, guarding a door while trying to look tough and intimidating. This would hopefully discourage people from causing trouble. The particular security guard that got Jr. Troopa's attention, however, was looking away, hands folded neatly behind his back, tapping his foot and whistling a tune. The green-shelled Koopa Troopa grunted exasperatedly and slowly walked back towards the guard. Clearly, he was hiding something.

"Hey, pal," he said, "You seen a girl Toad in light blue clothing go by here at all?"

The guard looked down at the turtle and gasped. "What? Uh…no, buddy. What makes you say that?"

Jr. Troopa's expression did not change. "Are you holding her hostage in that room behind you?"

The guard looked flabbergasted. "What are you talking about, bub? You think I'd go around kidnapping little girls? Who do you think I am! Bowser! For your information, she ASKED to go into that room! So there!" Then, after a few seconds of thinking, he groaned, realizing what he had just said.

"Uh huh. Any chance I can get in there, too?" The Koopa asked.

The guard suddenly began to look threatening. "And why would I do that? If I let you in there, how do I know you won't do something bad to her or not? Aren't you that killer I read about in the newspaper a few days back? I think you are!"

"Look, could you please just let me past? All I want to do is talk to her. I'm not going to hurt her, I promise you," the turtle said, the last of his patience slowly beginning to wane.

The guard looked thoughtful for a few seconds then nodded. "Ok, bub. I'll let you talk to her. But I'm warning you: you so much as lay a finger on her, and no one will ever find your body. Got it?"

Jr. Troopa suppressed a gulp. "Yes, thank you."

He smiled to himself as the guard shuffled past. Then, his smile disappeared, as a huge deadbolt lock came into view. Jr. Troopa felt like slapping his head. Slowly, he turned his head towards the guard and extended a hand towards him, palm facing up.

"The key, please," he said coldly. The guard looked at the door, saw the lock and laughed heartily.

"Ah, you noticed that, huh? Well, don't blame me for that. That little lady suggested I lock the door behind her as she ran in there, heh heh. Women, huh?"

It took all he had left in himself to keep from strangling the guard right then and there. He just stood where he was, his fists clenched and his teeth bared. If he was in a cartoon, his head would turn red and the sounds of a kettle boiling would be heard.

The guard chuckled and held his hands in front of him. "Easy there, bub. Easy. Here," He fished around in his coat pocket and produced a key. He put it in the lock and turned. Sure enough, the deadbolt unlocked and fell to the floor. Then he gestured towards the door. 

"Go ahead," his expression suddenly turned dead serious. "But just remember: I'm watching you, bub."

Jr. Troopa nervously nodded assent, then opened the door and disappeared inside, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

* * *

He was standing in what appeared to be a storage area. The area was mostly empty except for the odd flyer hanging up on the wall and an air vent stretching from one side of the room to the other. As well, there was a set of stairs leading up to a second floor. Standing in front of the stairs was the person Jr. Troopa was looking for. She appeared to be out of breath, sitting on the floor, a hand to her chest and panting.

As soon as Lynn T. noticed the Koopa standing before her, she jumped to her feet, panic overtaking her.

"Oh no, he made it in! And I told that guard to keep quiet! Agh, I knew this was a bad idea!" she moaned. She turned to the stairs and was about to climb them, when…

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Jr. Troopa bellowed. The force of his yell was so great that the reporter stopped in her tracks. She was too scared to move. The turtle took a few menacing steps forward, closing the distance between them. He stopped right in front of the staircase.

"P-Please don't hurt me…" Lynn T. begged. She was very afraid for her life at this point. She cringed and screwed her eyes shut when she saw the Koopa's hands move, but after a few seconds went by and she still didn't feel any pain, she opened them back up, surprised and confused.

"Listen, lady. I'm not going to hurt you," Jr. Troopa replied. He was holding his hands in front of him and slowly waving them back and forth, in an effort to calm her down. "I just want to talk about that article."

The Toad girl was still too afraid to speak, so the green-shelled turtle continued talking. From his shell, he produced the article offending him. He gestured toward it while he talked.

"You know, this article does nothing but spread vicious lies about me. _'New challenger signs on with intent to kill?'_ What the heck is that! When did I say I wanted to kill someone? Huh!" Even though he was trying to stay calm, he was still quite peeved.

Somehow, Lynn T. found the courage to speak. "Y-You told me…"

"What? Speak up!" The Koopa strained to hear the Toad. She was talking rather quietly. Lynn T. nervously cleared her throat.

"When I i-interviewed you…" she stuttered, "…y-you said you wanted to…k-kill a certain man…t-that's why…"

Jr. Troopa sighed with resignation. Yet again, he found that absolutely nobody was listening to him.

"That is NOT what I said!" he half-yelled. "I said I wanted to 'defeat' a certain man, not 'kill' a certain man! I don't know if any of you realize this, but 'defeat' and 'kill' have different meanings! Did you know that?" 

"O-oh, really?" Slowly, Lynn T. was finding the courage to shift her position on the stairs and face her pursuer, even though her mind and body were telling her to run away. "W-what is the difference?"

The turtle took a breath. "It's really quite simple," he said, calmly, "first of all, 'kill' means…well, it means exactly what it means: to make something not live any longer, for a lack of better words. To 'defeat' means that I only want to rough someone up a bit and succeed in doing so, before the other person has a chance to beat me to it."

"Oh…" the Toad looked thoughtful.

"Do you see what I'm saying?" Jr. Troopa continued, "I said 'defeat a certain man', so I only want to beat him within an inch of his life, but not enough to actually kill him. You see?"

"I-I think I understand," Lynn T. answered back, calming a little, but still looking dubious. "But no matter what you said to me, your motive still doesn't make you sound like a very nice person, does it?"

A short pause followed as the turtle considered her question. Finally, "…I suppose it doesn't…but still, I think there would've been a lot less of a stain on my image if you didn't print THIS stupid piece of garbage!" He shoved the article in her face. "Why'd you do it!"

"Well, putting aside the error in wording, how do you think it would look to the spectators if they knew there was a real live killer in the ring?" she asked, "Reporters really play to this, you know! They take a big juicy rumour like this and spice it up!"

"Oh, like a tabloid, you mean," the Koopa shot back, "and you're still too timid for me to think that you're even a real reporter."

"We are NOT a tabloid," she shouted, surprising the eggshell hat wearing turtle, "and I've been a reporter of the Glitzville Gazette for nearly four and a half years! I have enough people coming up to me telling me I'm too shy! Don't bring that up again!"

Silence. Jr. Troopa just stared at her, shocked by her outburst. Lynn T. noticed him staring and brought a hand to her mouth, feeling embarrassed.

"I…I'm sorry," she squeaked, her shyness returning to her. "I didn't mean to snap like that…"

"It…it's okay…" he replied, suddenly finding it difficult to speak.

They stood in silence for a few minutes longer. They both looked away from each other, neither one knowing what to say next. After what seemed like an eternity, Jr. Troopa spoke up.

"So…are we cool?" he looked back up at her.

"I…I suppose so." Lynn T. returned his gaze. "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding." She got off the steps and nervously offered her hand for a handshake. The Koopa gladly accepted it. When they let go of each other's hands, the girl turned away, feeling guilty. "I'm also sorry I've left you with such an awful rumour hanging over your head."

"Ah, don't worry about it. I'll get through the lies and the bad publicity. Sooner or later it'll all pass," the turtle replied. He chuckled to himself. "Man, but it's too bad this kind of thing didn't come up back when I was younger…y'know, back when I was the boss of the neighbourhood gang, where I was. To have the Toad Town Times say something like, 'Neighbourhood Bully Threatens to Kill Mario'…you know that really would've been something…it's too bad. No one paid me the least amount of attention, back then. Oh well…"

As he was going on in his comments, there was something he said that made Lynn T. freeze. She seemed shocked and confused.

"H…hold it," she started, slowly, "Did you just say that your goal is to kill…Mario!"

Jr. Troopa just stared at her. "Didn't we JUST talk about this AND shake on it! I told you I wanted to defeat…"

"I don't care WHAT you want to do anymore," she interrupted him, "Say that again: the man you want out of your way is Mario?"

The Koopa's mouth slowly dropped opened, as the reality of the situation was starting to dawn on him. "Wait. You mean to tell me you didn't know Mario was my real target?"

"Of course not," Lynn T. exclaimed, "what makes you think I would know something like that?"

For a second, the turtle was at a loss for words. Then, "I…I figured you were in cahoots with Jolene or something…"

"I most certainly am not!" she responded, getting more flustered by the second. "Oh boy…oh boy oh boy oh boy…I don't know what to do about this…to think that your target is the one and only Mario…" She stomped her foot, silently cursing herself. "Man, if only I'd brought my notebook and camera with me…"

Jr. Troopa's eyes suddenly went wide. "Wait just a minute! You aren't actually going to make another incriminating article, are you!"

Lynn T. stared at him, a scowl on her features. "Mario's a legend to anyone who knows him. He's known for his patience, understanding and is an all-around nice guy. I should know; I interviewed him once back in my earliest days before joining on with the Glitzville Gazette. Anyone who tries to say bad things about it will, in turn, have nasty things said about them."

"Okay…all right…let's not get too hasty, here…" the Koopa Troopa stammered. Lynn T. shot up a hand, silencing him.

"Enough! Now you listen to me, Mr. Troopa. As a reporter, you know I can't very well keep this a secret from the press. It most definitely has to get printed. And the best part is that you're kind of in hot water, already. If you so much as lay a finger on me, I'll tell Security, and then you'll be finished."

The turtle's eyes went wide. "No! You…you wouldn't!"

"Yes, I would! I may be timid as a reporter, but when I have my mind set on something, there is nothing that can hold me back!" 

He couldn't believe what was happening. All of a sudden, the shy little Toad that he had supposedly made peace with suddenly turned on him again. And there was nothing he could do about it. If only he hadn't brought up Mario's name.

…And this was all sounding so horribly familiar, too…

Before he could ponder his mistakes further, Lynn T.'s facial expression went from angered to sweet and innocent, as well as professional.

"So, Mr. Troopa, I'm glad we had this time to talk. I'd talk some more, but I have some work to do, now. I hope you're looking forward to tomorrow's newspaper as much as I am. Now, get out of the way, please!"

Without warning, the Toad girl took her hands and shoved the Koopa out of the way. Jr. Troopa, who was unprepared for the impact sailed backwards, hitting his head against the far wall. The last thing he saw before blacking out was Lynn T. moving in a light blue blur out the door.

* * *

* * *

He didn't know how long he was out when he finally came to. He sat up and leaned against the wall, feeling dizzy. He rubbed his head. He didn't think Toads could hit that hard, especially a girl Toad. He felt his eggshell hat. Probably cracked even more by now. Until he had access to a mirror, there was no way to tell for sure. Well, he could take it off and check it himself, but considering his mindset, that was one option he hadn't considered.

Suddenly, remembering his situation, he jumped up and ran to the door. He pushed the door open and looked around the hallway. Lynn T. was nowhere to be found. The sound of a chuckle grabbed his attention. Turning in the direction of the noise, he made out the same security guard from earlier, who looked like he was giggling like a schoolgirl. When he noticed he was being watched, he snapped back to attention. Jr. Troopa grunted and looked away. He continued looking around the hallway, desperate for any kind of sign that would lead him to the light blue Toad, but turned up with nothing. The reporter was long gone, by now. Just how long was he out for?

Sighing, he decided he wasn't going to get anywhere, and that he would return to his locker room. As he was about to leave, he heard the security guard chuckle again. He whirled in the guard's direction. The guard was grinning widely. When he noticed he was being watched this time, however, he brought a finger to his lips and blew outwards, making a 'Shh' noise, all while still smiling.

"There's nothing you can do, bub. That chick is long gone by now," he said smugly, "So, if I was you, I'd forget about finding her. And, in case you forgot, you'd better watch your step, 'cause the minute you step outta line…"

He finished by cracking his knuckles, his condescending grin still plastered on his face. Jr. Troopa looked the guard in the eye with a look that said it wasn't fair. After a few seconds of a staring contest, he gave a sigh of recognition and slowly trudged in the direction of his locker room.

* * *

* * *

Sir Swoop noticed his expression as soon as he walked in.

"Hey man, what's up? You don't look so hot," he said, sounding concerned, "also, where have you been? I was a little worried about you there."

Jr. Troopa said nothing until he made his way to one of the benches and sat down.

"Ugh…I don't really want to talk about it," he replied, "Let's just say that the tides are soon going to shift against me again…"

"Oh, really? Bummer…" the bat replied, feeling embarrassed.

"I could really do with a match to fight…" the Koopa pointed towards the computer terminal. "Is anyone fighting right now?"

"Hmm, not that I know of," Sir Swoop began, "but I'm not sure if we can log on anymore today. Jolene said…"

"I don't care WHAT Jolene said! I really need this right now…" Feeling drained, the turtle walked up to the terminal and logged on. After listening to the automated message, he picked 'Reserve a Match.'

The screen blinked again, but this time, instead of showing Jolene's profile, Jr. Troopa was met with static. He could hear the promoter's voice just fine, although she seemed a bit…panicked.

"Aacckk! Why is someone reserving a match! Who is this?"

While he would normally be taken aback by the tone of her voice, Jr. Troopa's mind was too far elsewhere for him to care in the slightest.

"It's Jr….uh, sorry…the Persistent Egghead, ma'am."

"Persistent Egghead! Darn it! I KNEW there was someone I forgot! Listen, I have to postpone the rest of the matches today. Something has come up that just can't be ignored…"

"Are you sure it's not life-threatening? If it isn't, then I think you can fit in one more match, can't you?" He may have sounded indifferent, but he still didn't want any nonsense. He would have this match and no one would stop him.

"Uhhhmmm…Come on, now! Be reasonable, Egghead. Whatever you're going through right now to make you need this match is going to have to wait! You see, I…"

"Please?" the Koopa asked with absolutely no emotion. "I really, really, REALLY need this."

Silence for a moment, save for the static. Then, there was a long sigh from Jolene's end of the terminal.

"You're not going to leave me alone if I say no, are you?"

"Not really."

Another pause. Then, Jolene let out an aggravated yell.

"Boy, you really are persistent! Well, fine then! FINE! Just this once! But you will never be allowed this kind of leniency again, are we clear, Troopa!"

"Crystal, ma'am," the Koopa replied, his mood starting to lighten a bit.

"Fine. Now let me see. Your next opponent is…Rank 13 in the Glitz Pit, The Bob-omb Squad. Now you listen to me: in this battle, I'm going to go a little easier on you and say that you have three minutes to finish off your opponent. You see, I have a super important meeting that cannot be missed, and have to get to on time. What I'm about to do…Oh yes, you definitely owe me for this one, Koopa!"

The screen went blank. Jr. Troopa turned away from the console, coming face-to-face with Master Crash. The walking explosive was staring at him, wide eyed.

"When she gave out the announcement earlier today that all remaining matches were cancelled, I thought I was safe BOMB," he began, dejection obvious in his voice, "but now I come back and find that you get a match reserved…"

Jr. Troopa noticed Crash's dejection and automatically started to cheer up. "Yes, I did. How about that, huh?"

Surprising both the turtle and Sir Swoop, Master Crash started to cry, "it means that time is no longer on my side BOMB. If I had hands, my face would be buried in them BOMB."

Desperately trying to keep from laughing, the Koopa Troopa patted Crash's head, "Ah well, that's life, huh? You knew it wouldn't last forever." His smile suddenly faded as Crash stared Jr. Troopa right in the eye, a deep frown on his face. As if like magic, the Bob-omb suddenly looked confident, determined and full of anticipation.

"Well I say, come what may, I am BOMB not going down without a fight. Today I will fight as if my BOMB life is on the life. If I am to go down, I will go down with a BOMB BANG!"

There was stunned silence as Crash suddenly turned away and marched proudly towards the Pale Piranha.

"And if I do die BOMB, I have, after much thinking, decided to give you my stamp collection BOMB. Be good to it, as it is one of my fondest treasures BOMB-BOMB!"

The plant just looked at him. "Get away from me," he snapped.

Jr. Troopa and Sir Swoop's eyes were tearing up. Really. The scene they were witnessing right now was priceless. Giggles were getting harder and harder to control as the Bob-omb walked around yelling at the top of his lungs. It was then that two security guards marched into the room.

"All right, all right, knock it off in here! You! Egghead! Match time! Follow me, bub," said one of the guards.

"And you! Crash! The same thing. Get your teammates and follow me!" said the other.

The two obediently joined up with their respected guards and left the room. Sir Swoop couldn't contain himself any longer. He fell down on the floor and started laughing uncontrollably, rocking back and forth.

* * *

* * *

The stage was soon set and the fighters had taken their positions. Jr. Troopa stood his ground on one end while Master Crash and three other Bob-ombs waited patiently on the other. The seats were filled with spectators, cheering for both teams.

Currently, however, all eyes were fixed on the promoter, Jolene. Instead of her usual bright red suit, the only thing covering her this time was a matching pair of pink silk panties and bra. She wasn't even wearing any shoes. Her cheeks were bright red and she had a deep frown on her face. She brought her mic to her lips.

"Ok, let's get this over with. And stop looking at me! Now, for our next and LAST battle of the day, we've got the Ultimate Chip Shoulder, the Persistent Egghead, and The Big Bomb Boomers! Yes, a furious battle with The Bob-omb Squad…STOP LOOKING AT ME!"

She paused to allow the fighters to exchange their witty banter. Jr. Troopa instead focused his attention on Jolene.

"You know, when you say things while looking like that, they sound kinda hot," to which he was met with an icy glare. He automatically backed off, looking scared for his life. "Joking. Compliment. Take your pick."

Crash was focused on his opponent, "We finally meet in the ring, Egghead BOMB. I will take you out with a bang BOMB-BOMB-BOMB! He sounded very sure of himself.

The fighters took their stances as they waited for Jolene to give the word to start. All of a sudden, Jr. Troopa could feel some kind of flash go off from somewhere on his right side. Distracted, he turned away from his opponent and looked in the direction of the flash. Sitting there, front row and center at the south side of the ring, was Lynn T. holding her camera in front of her. She brought the camera away from her eyes, feeling very pleased with herself. Then, as she noticed her subject staring at her, she just smiled sweetly and batted her eyelids, looking cute and innocent. Two seconds later, she brought a hand to her mouth and started giggling.

Jr. Troopa gritted his teeth as he realized he still had a long way to go before he became champion of the Glitz Pit. And every step of the way this…reporter…would be trailing right behind him like an Armoured Ant being attracted to sugar. But he would make it. Even with all the bad publicity left in his wake, he swore that he would make it all the way through this hell, or die trying. His thoughts dissipated as Jolene's voice brought him back to attention.

"Let's get ready to OKAY, STOP IT YOU PERVERTS! JUST STOP IT RIGHT NOW! STOP STARING AT ME LIKE THAT! AND STOP HOOTING! I AM _NOT_ SOME KIND OF MEAT THAT YOU CAN UNDRESS WITH YOUR FILTHY, FILTHY MINDS!...huh…huh…huh… BRAAAAAWL!"

The gong rang out and the battle began, as the combatants furiously hurled themselves towards each other.


End file.
